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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. degree — an amount
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. root — of a word
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. root — the cause
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — temperature
  9. ball — a great time
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. stem — to come from
  14. band — a ring
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. content — happy
  17. pop — soda
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. content — the amount
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. ball — a dance
  23. band — a music group
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com